The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels

About this book

The Los Angeles Lakers 2009 NBA Champions and one of the most storied and illustrious franchises in the National Basketball Association celebrate 50 years in Los Angeles in 2010. Since moving from Minneapolis in 1960 pioneering the NBAs expansion to the West Coast The Lakers have won 10 NBA Championships 24 Western Conference/Division titles and 20 Pacific Division titles and finished in the playoffs all but four seasons in the last half century. Some of the greatest players in NBA history have worn the Lakers jersey including Elgin Baylor Jerry West Gail Goodrich James Worthy and four of the NBAs Most Valuable PlayersKareem Abdul-Jabbar Magic Johnson Shaquille ONeal and Kobe Bryant. Seven LA Lakers were inducted into the Hall of Fame as were head coaches Bill Sharman Pat Riley and Phil Jackson. The team holds the record for the longest consecutive win streak in professional sports (33) and several NBA records including the most regular season wins and highest winning percentage over the past three decades. The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels takes a look back at the heartbreaking rivalry with the Boston Celtics in the 60s fast-break Showtime basketball of 80s and dominance as four-time NBA champions this past decade. The story is told in more than 300 archival photos from Getty Images and text from the Los Angeles Times sports staff including columns from the late Pulitzer Prize winner Jim Murray with a foreword by Phil Jackson.